Court rules Manhattan Beach cannot ban coastal short-term rentals
The Emoji House was the subject of controversy in the coastal zone of North Manhattan Beach because of a feud that started when owner Kathyrn Kidd offered short-term rentals in defiance of the city’s ban. Kidd was fined $3,500 by the city. That ban has been overturned by a Superior Court judge, leaving such fines in question. Photo by JP Cordero A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has overturned Manhattan Beach’s ban on short-term rentals in the city’s coastal zone, ruling that the prohibition violates the California Coastal Act. Judge James C. Chalfant, presiding over a challenge to the city’s short-term rental ordinance brought to the court by Manhattan Beach resident Darby Keen, ruled that the city could not enforce any such ban except through an amendment to its Local Coastal Plan approved by the California Coastal Commission. “The City may not avoid its duty to seek Commission approval of its STR ban in the coastal zone as an LCP amendment, and must refrain from enforcing these prohibitions in the coastal zone without the [Coastal] Commission’s approval,” Chalfant wrote in his ruling, issued in early July. The City Council enacted a ban on short-term rentals in 2016 and then…
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